Budget DIY Decorations for a 1st Birthday

In my family, birthdays are a big deal! We love to celebrate, go all out and have all our family and friends over to make the birthday boy or girl feel as loved as possible.

Now, with three kiddos who all want themed birthdays, it can get pretty expensive! When you think birthday party, there is the food, the decorations, balloons, cakes, etc. All of which, if not done wisely, can cost you an arm and a leg. And that's before you budget in birthday gifts!

I'm here to show you that you can have a fun birthday party on a budget! I spent a total of $24 on decorations for my son's party.

Benjamin is turning 1 years old!! Or, to say it in theme with our party, he's O-FISH-ALLY ONE!!

We are throwing him a little fisherman themed birthday party. As a family, we have made a few camping trips and always go fishing when we do.

Ben has been watching his daddy and uncle fish since about 8 months old. He is always fascinated when he sees them casting and all that, so we thought this type of party would be fitting for him.

I scoured the internet for ideas and decorations through Party City, Target and even Walmart, but everything was so dang expensive! It is a first birthday, one that he will not even remember.

I think that first birthday is more for the family and parents anyway.

In any case, I wanted to have a fun party without breaking our budget, so I decided to Do It Myself! All of it! I made the decorations from scratch, and planned a simple, crowd-friendly menu to go with them.

Now, I am not the most artistic person in the world, so you may be able to paint these items with a little bit better skill but for me, they turned out great and I am so proud of myself!
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I started by searching Pinterest for ideas. I saw a bunch of decorations that people have purchased off of Etsy and Amazon type sites.

I looked at them, then looked at the prices and I just couldn't... I mean some of the prices were outrageous and I could easily make them myself with MY own hands.

Well here it is. When you think of fishing, there is the bait, the poles, life jacket (if you're on a boat), tackle boxes, fishing hats, bobbers, etc.

I wanted to make decorations that I could easily string up with some fishing line and hang from my patio outside.

I wanted a few things that I could hang up around my kitchen and living room for when people walked into the house the day of the party.

I had all these ideas and so I just started going for it.

I started with a ton of cardboard boxes that I had lying around the garage. If you don't have some lying around, you can always call your local grocery store or Superstore (Walmart etc) and ask that they hold some boxes for you.

I have never had an issue when doing this and it is usually a cart full or however many you want to take.

FREE! check.

I happened to have a ton of acrylic paint in the garage so I was able to utilize this for my decorations at no extra expense.

If you don't have paint on hand, you can go to the Dollar Store and score some cheap paints!

Remember that this paint doesn't have to be of the highest quality, it is just being used for a ONE DAY PARTY!

You could even use those tempura paints that your kids have sitting in the closet.

I used the paintbrushes from my kids paint set. So for me, FREE! For someone who doesn't have them on hand, maybe $5?

You want to start by taking a pencil and trace out what you want to use as a decoration.

I started with bobbers!

I took the largest bowl I could find in my cupboard and traced it. I then cut it out using a razor knife. I also cut out a little square  that I later used as the top of the bobber.

I made a few of these and set them aside.

Now keep in mind that it is cardboard that you are painting on. It will soak into the box more than you want it to, so you have to do two or three coats when using light colors like white or yellow.

Darker colors seem to work well with just one or two coats depending.

Paint one coat and set it aside.

Don't sit there and hover over it like I did trying to blow it dry (not literally but it sure felt like it).

I made a few other items that were all free hand drawn and cut out by me.

I can say that I did make a few that I was not satisfied with and had to re-do them but it was OK, because I was using cardboard and not an expensive material.

Get creative, you really can go any direction with this step.

What's a first birthday without the adorable month to month pictures of how your little babe has grown over the past 12 months?

Now, this part of the project was probably the most expensive part for me, but it doesn't have to be for you!

I am an avid Shutterfly user and have taken advantage of the 50 prints for free to a new user promo. If you haven't heard of this, please go check it out!  You will receive 50 free prints just for signing up with their website, and they are really good quality! (for you - FREE!)

Since I had taken advantage of this before, I had to get my prints done at my local CVS. It cost me a little under $7 for, I believe, 15 prints. I probably could have found a cheaper rate but I live in a small town and it is easily a half hour drive to get anywhere and, well, 3 kids, hot days, no thanks!

Anyway, I again got my cardboard and created what was intended to depict a life saving flotation device (the rings that they have at pools or sometimes on boats).

I painted it red - which was completely covered by the pictures, so it was kind of a waste of time but oh well.

I carefully arranged my photos from birth to the newest picture I had of little man on there. I then took some tape and made it into double sided tape and stuck them all on there.

I did it this way so that after the party, I could easily take the pictures off and use them again in a frame or baby book!

I thought I was done! Then I started to look at it, and thought it would be cute with a little saying in the middle. I created just a simple rectangle and glued it in. I thought for days of what to write in there and just was not having a creative couple of days so landed on BEN IS ONE.

Short and sweet I suppose! Again, you can get super creative with this.

The one thing that I couldn't figure out how to make myself was the decorations for the cake and cupcakes. I suppose I could have gone without, but the cupcake stakes and bunting I found for the smash cake were adorable and I only spent $11 for both WITH shipping from The Oriental Trading Company.

If you haven't heard of them, I suggest you check them out. They are an awesome site that has just about everything under the sun that would be used for holidays and parties, a lot of which can be bought in bulk for cheap.

The stakes are little poles with a little plastic fish attache, which I used on the cupcakes I made. The bunting went on his little smash cake, and then set aside as a bedroom ornament for his room.

Last but not least, was the tablecloths, silverware, cups and plates, which really aren't decor but I went with a blue and green to match my theme so I will stick in it here as well.

I don't know about you guys, but I am a fan of dollar stores, because if you really take the time to look, you can score some pretty sweet stuff at low cost! Especially if you go at the end of a season or a few weeks after a major holiday, everything is even more discounted!

I scored 24 blue cups ( from 4th of July) for $0.50 for all! I got 2 turquoise table clothes and 2 matching silverware sets for $4. I also grabbed some plastic plates for serving on the discount rack for $0.50 for  24.

At an end-of-summer blow out sale, I found 2 bright green serving platters that I happily grabbed for $1! I will be able to use them again around Halloween or save for next summer.

That is it, $6 for all that! Score!!

Cups and plates will be saved (if not damaged) for our camping box! Can't go wrong with multipurpose items!

So as you can see, it doesn't have to be expensive but can still be awesome and fun!

You can make things with the stuff you have laying around your house and it will even more special because you took the time and effort to make it yourself rather than blindly buying something from a store and as the kids get older they can help make the decorations, too!

Review/Giveaway- KinderPerfect Card Game

If your parenting friends enjoys a bit of adult fun now and then, I may have the perfect idea for your next gathering.

KinderPerfect is a card gamed inspired by the popular explicit game, Cards Against Humanity. We bought Cards Against Humanity very shortly after its release, and now own the majority of its expansions. While my husband and I generally prefer more logic based board style games, we love to pull CAH out in a crowd for some easy laughs.

When I heard of KinderPerfect, I knew we needed to add it to our game shelf. We have two very spirited daughters, and have definitely learned to have a few laughs about parenthood! It's nearly identical in concept and gameplay, but entirely parent-centered.

This makes it the perfect game for when you know there will be low concentration, lots of laughter and interruptions for frequent stories about that one time your kid really did manage to paint their entire crib with the contents of their diaper at nap time.

You need at least 3 players to make the game work, though as with any good party style game, the more the merrier.

Each player keeps a hand of ten white cards; These are the “answers.”

The person whose turn it is is called the "Parent" and draws a red card from the deck and reads it aloud.

Each player selects a white card from their hand to answer the red card's question, or fill in a blank on the red card. There is no right or wrong answer! The "Parent" selects the answer they like best, whatever their criteria is, and awards the red card to that person.

When you are done playing, the player with the most red cards, wins.

I brought the game to a recent girls night in at my friend (and fellow RCH writer) Tricia's house. There were four of us playing and we all enjoyed it.

KinderPerfect is cute and a great conversation starter. Many pauses were made to relate to the cards in our daily lives! This makes a ton of sense as all the cards questions were crowd sourced from actual parents.

KinderPerfect is fairly tame compared to Cards Against Humanity. There are still some blush worthy cards, but any profanity was “***” out so you can use your judgement on what to say out loud, just in case little ears are lurking (and really, when aren't they?!)

I'm am excited to see there are going to be expansions in the future! KinderPerfect is currently in the works to create school aged/tween centered versions of the game.

The game as it currently exists goes rather quickly, especially the larger your group, because of the disproportionately small red deck of cards. There are only 210 cards total.

One suggestion the website makes is to mix these cards in with your Cards Against Humanity game.

I could definitely see that adding a fun twist. However, I don't think nonparents would get much our of these questions, except to remind them why they don't have kids. However, there are several specialty card sets out there intended to be mixed with CAD decks, so this would not be unusual.

Another thing I'd like to point out about KinderPerfect: I didn't feel like it was made with PARENTS in mind, as much as just for MOMS. The website is visually oriented to mother and child themes.

Dads can understand the situations, sure, but the wording felt as if it was meant as to come from a mom. Not in every case, and I could be wrong about that. I haven't actually tested the theory with a room of dads, but I do think the deck would benefit from having more dad-centric cards.

You can purchase a copy KinderPerfect on Amazon Prime for $23.95. I don't love the price, if I'm honest. That's about the same as Cards Against Humanity's base game which has more than double the amount of cards. However, I think the higher costs has to do with it being manufactured in smaller quantities.

Overall, I think it was a really cute game, and it will come along to many more mom oriented girls nights or playdates!

If you'd like a chance to win a deck of your own, read on! Two of our readers in the US or Canada will receive a copy of KinderPerfect.

www.kinderperfect.com

https://www.facebook.com/kinderperfect/

https://www.pinterest.com/kinderperfect/

https://twitter.com/KinderPerfect

https://www.instagram.com/kinderperfect/

KinderPerfect on Amazon

Two winners in Canada or the US (including APO/DPO addresses) will each receive one KinderPerfect Card Game, valued at $23.95 USD ($29.95 CAD) each.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning. (If you don't leave a comment, any additional entries will be void.)

This giveaway is open to US & CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY and will end just before midnight ET on 5/18. 

The winners will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winners have responded and confirmed, their first names will be posted on our Giveaways  page.

Good luck!

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Penelope's Clubfoot Update: Navigating the Challenge While Overseas

I'm way overdue on an update for my daughter Penelope's clubfoot progress. For a bit of recall, she was born with bilateral clubfoot, or talipes equinovarus.

The last I left off, was when she had a relapse around 10 months old. She was recasted for two sets, and looked great after!

We moved to Germany in november of 2015 and although we are American military and there is a clinic on post, all specialties are off post in the economy (in other words - German doctors). We spent many months jumping through hoops to make the appointment we needed.

We are on EFMP (the Exceptional Family Member Program) and had already locked down our specialist before we'd arrived. However, communication was a bit hit and miss, and it took us quite some time to see him.

We finally did about 4-5 months after moving here. It was a good visit but they did say her dorsiflection was stiffer than they like. Dorsiflection is the range of motion and ability for toes to bend toward the ankle.

Then, around 18 months, in an accidental fall, she broke her left leg - a crack right on her femur right above her knee. This resulted in a 10 days cast and further delay in her physical milestones (such as walking). Not to mention, it wasn't a 'clubfoot cast' so she was unable to wear her brace for that period of time. I truly think this is where we began to go downhill again.

She finally started walking at 21 months.

A few months after her leg had been casted, we saw her specialist again. At our second appointment, he commented that if her dorsiflection got any worse he may suggest casts, like she'd worn when she was younger.

Unfortunately, it was another 6 months until we could see him again! (Our doctor in the States had had much more frequent check ups.)

In the meantime, our pediatrician recommended in-home physical therapy. The therapist came to our home twice and recommended AFO, which are full time shoe inserts meant to mimic the effects of her brace.

I hated the idea of making her wear shoes/boots 24/7, but attempted ot do as recommended.

Once we had the AFO in hand, we spent a lot of money and energy buying her shoes after shoes to fit them properly, and never fully succeeded.

Unfortunately, the visiting physical therapist became very flaky. We never achieved a good working relationship, or any consistency in communication, and eventually she became too difficult to work with.

Finally, February rolled around and it was time to see our specialist, Dr. Wurth again. I always dread these checkups, especially when they are spaced so far apart, but I didn't really expect the news we got.

Penny spent hours in the waiting room (yes, hours), singing Doc Mcstuffins songs about feeling better after the doctor.

She babbled about letting the doctor see her feet and being a brave girl.

But as soon as we went in his office, all bets were off.

She screamed, refused to get down and show him how she walked, and was very uncooperative. Her natural resting position was mostly all they had to go on, as well as unimproved range of motion.

They really wanted to see if her toes curve in when she walks but they were unable to assess that. In the end, we were informed she would be recasted that same day.

I'm not so sure Penny remembers any of her previous casts and really acted like she was in a torture chamber. It was just awful to have to witness!

She spent the first 3 days or so sadly asking us if she could get down and run, and we'd have to tell her she couldn't. She spend most of the first week on the couch, watching TV.

We were also very fortunate to have a fantastic community and managed to borrow a few things for her that made our lives easier. Both from virtual strangers, we got her a papasan chair, that comfortably rested her casts, as well as a open seat high chair as hers had hard frame leg holes that were were difficult with her bend leg casts.

We reiterated to her over and over that at the end of the week these casts would come off BUT another set were then going on. The way she repeated it, I don't think she quite understood that second part, which made the next appointment just as sad and difficult.

One thing that made removing the first set challenging is that we never had plaster casts before! All her previous sets were soft roll they would just unravel.

We opted out of using the saw, as it scared me.

So, they set us up with a bucket of water and a huge roll of paper towels. We had to soak each towel and wrap them around her casts. I felt so badly about it as it was pretty cold in there. After about 40 minutes, they came back and told us to start over, and do it again. UGH!

Finally her cast of soft enough to cut off using these industrial scissor things. They had to shove the shaft of the scissors down the leg of her cast, and tug pretty roughly and she complained of pain the entire time. She kept saying he was going to cut her foot off and that she was 'afraid to see my leg!' it was heartbreaking.

Once she had the new set of casts on, she was ok. She was just happy they weren't touching her anymore. When we got home she was in much better spirits week two. She often got down on the floor to play with her big sister and kept saying she couldn't wait until she could run around in circles again.

When the day of the second cast removal finally came, we were all so excited! This time we opted for the saw, which was much faster, but incredibly loud. She still cried and was scared but didn't complain of any pain this time.

On a plus side her feet look SO straight!!

What we forgot to anticipate was how sore her legs would be, having been locked in the same position for two weeks. Once we got her home we figured it might be a day or two before she would be back to her old self. She could only move around in very small steps and only holding hands or furniture.

Now we are almost 2 weeks out, and she is finally running around just as before. Hopefully we can get back into the swing of potty training, which was interrupted by this relapse!


She continues to wear her brace every night, for about 12hrs a day.

At just 29 months of age she has endured 25 casts total, 2 surgeries and hundreds of hours in an awkward brace. Even she will happily tell you she is a 'Warrior Princess"

Here's to hoping that was our last bump in the road along this journey!

Review: The Poo Poo Fairy

Just ask every parent, and you will find that nearly all of them dread PT. Now, I'm not talking physical therapy, but instead potty training.

There are more ways to potty train a kid than there are kids. And, of course, no two kids will train in the same way.

My son wasn't potty trained until after he had turned three, and I had to teach him that being wet was not a good thing. Fortunately, my daughter, who just turned two, already knows this. Unfortunately, this means that she will take off her diaper and hand it to us when she is even the slightest bit damp. 

Unsure as to how to start this new potty training journey, I was introduced to The Poo Poo Fairy.

Paulina the Poo Poo Fairy is a cute little fairy who helps kids learn to use the potty. You can purchase just her story book which is currently on sale for $14.99 on their website, or a box set that includes a cute Paulina doll, which is on sale for $29.99.

I received the box set to try out. This particular method uses the Poo Poo Fairy kind of like a mashup between the Tooth Fairy, and the Elf on the Shelf. You put the doll somewhere to watch over the child, and she leaves behind just the right presents to help encourage them to keep going on the potty.

 

In the box set, an adorable Paulina doll is included. She has her soft curly hair and her pretty blue dress. Her blue iridescent wings even have wires, so you can pose her differently. She is supposed to watch over the potty training child as a visual motivation/reminder to use the potty. 

For our household, however, the way that the doll worked best as a motivator was to let my daughter actually cuddle with her. I know that this is not what is recommended with this method, but putting the pretty dolly up where my little one can see it, but not hold it, only resulted in tears.

The book in the Poo Poo Fairy set tells the tale of Paulina, a young and somewhat clumsy fairy who just wants to help kids. Poor Paulina just doesn't do well in any of her classes, from Molar Math with the Tooth Fairy to learning the Sugar Plum Shimmy from the Sugar Plum Fairies.

But, one day, she finds her calling, which is to help kids learn how to use the potty. And when she is all done, she leaves a special present for the now potty trained kid before she flies off to help the next one!

This hardcover book is a simple enough read and keeps my daughter's attention throughout, which is always a gamble. The illustrations are adorable, and unlike some potty training books that I have seen, have no “bits” showing.

Paulina brought a special reward for going on the potty, and that was candy corn. My daughter has a metabolic disorder which makes giving her food and treats extremely tricky, so finding something that she can have whenever she uses the potty and not having to worry about calculating it into her daily allowance is actually a big thing for her.

Paulina has helped introduce the big kid potty to my daughter, and though she isn't completely potty trained yet, she is (usually) excited to sit on the potty, and even tells us when she wants to (sometimes). For only being 26 months old, I'll take that as a win.     

https://www.poopoofairy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/poopoofairy/

Review/Giveaway: Highchair Bib

I seem to have made a habit of reviewing obscure baby items that you didn't know you always needed - items I didn't know I needed, either, until I tried them!

When I first saw the Highchair Bib, honestly I just laughed. To me, a parent of a food thrower, it just seemed silly to think anything could beat her ability to make a mess. I figured there was just no way that it would actually catch foot thrown – dropped, maybe.

My other thought was that it would be come an overgrown food dish for the family dog, which made me laugh more.

So naturally I had to give it a try...

Highchair bib arrived folded up inside a mesh zipper bag. Upon reading the box, I learned the the mesh bag was a laundry bag! I was incredibly surprised to find out it was machine washable.

It unfolded with a pop, as the ends are made from the same type of material as a pop up laundry basket. It was much larger than I anticipated.

I was a bit concerned about what was expected in terms of putting on (and later, taking off). The bottom circle of the skirt is fully connected all the way around so it has to be slipped over the top, tucked until the foot rest and there is a tie for the top opening to tighten its hold.

Ever after seeing it on, I was still concerned it wouldn't catch the majority of her food grenades. However, it was better than our current solution...which is none. We just wait until she is done, and clean it all up off the floor.

Obviously it was time to put it to the test.

I will honestly say it caught about 85% of her castoffs, especially after she discovered it and purposely dropped stuff to watch it slide down.

But alas, her range of food bombing extends a tad beyond its reach so there was still minimal cleanup afterward.

It should be noted that the box does warn against keeping it attached to the chair after removing child, to avoid the child playing with and causing possible injury. However, we didn't always, and would just clean at the end of a full day of mess making, especially because any really messy foods, like things with sauces, don't occur until dinner.

With that said, remember that previously mentioned dog bowl image? Yea.. apparently it doubled as a toddler food dish. Sweet! (Can you tell this is not my first child? Hah!)

Moving on....

When it did come time to clean it out, I tried lifting it over the highchair the same way it came on... then I walked it over to the trash can and clumsily tries to slant this large circle into it.. major fail.. it went everywhere!

But of course, then I noticed the video on their site shows the lady using a paper towel to just grab all the debris from the bi while it is still on the highchair, then wet-wiping clean. Oh. I suppose that makes more sense... (mom brain!)

When there is messy food, we've made a point of wiping it clean directly after the meal and there hasn't been any stains or stubborn stickiness. However, I needed to try out this washing business for the sake of review, anyway.

Admittedly, I was very skeptical. Laundry bag or not, I was sure the plastic material would somehow get damaged. I'm happy to report that it made it through the washer, and a quick air dry on my balcony, good as new.

Although I saw more humor than practicality in the Highchair Bib in the beginning, I have become a true believer of its usefulness.

Side tip: I'm willing to bet it can be tied around a kitchen chair and catch all the mess from a haircut as well!

You can purchase your Highchair Bib either on their site, or on Amazon for $29.99. It only comes in white, unfortunately; I wish there was more options. I also would love to see them selling replacement laundry bags for when I inevitably lose the one that was provided.

If you'd like a chance at getting one for your own adorable little messy eater, we're giving one away to TWO of our US readers!  Read on to see how you can enter to win!

www.highchairbib.com

www.facebook.com/highchairbib

To enter the giveaway, you must leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Giveaway Tools Entry Form below. This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS (including APO addresses) and will end just before midnight ET on 6/26. 

The winners will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winners have responded and confirmed, their first names will be posted on our Giveaways  page.


Good luck!

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The Importance of Reading Together

I'm a total book nerd. I am always in the middle of a book at any given time. For as long as I can remember, I have loved to read. I'm also a bit snobby about them...I'm ok lending out a book if I really trust you, but before I allow it to enter your hands there is basically a blood oath that you won't dog ear a single page.

Also, there was a period of time where I tried the Nook, then the Kindle, and I always find myself just wishing I had the paperback.

I love having multiple bookshelves filled with books, organized by genre and author. Some I've never read, I just like to own (such as the complete works of Shakespeare) Some, I've read more times than I have fingers to count (Harry Potter, anyone?) and some I know I won't read again, but don't dare throw away because I hope my children will some day enjoy.

Which brings me to my topic. While I don't particularly recall sitting on a lap being read to as a child, it's something I knew since very early on in motherhood I wanted to do.

I have two daughters, a 6 year old and a 1 year old. From the time my oldest, Hailey was about 2, she had already begun to gather an impressive collection. Not only was I a frequent shopper at the major bookstores, buying her all the classics from my childhood, but we also participated in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

The Imagination Library program is only available in some states but it is entirely free and they send one age-appropriate book for your child a month, until they are 5 years old!! I encourage everyone to check if it's available in your area.

As Hailey got older, it went from cute board books she usually had the attention span to sit through, to more recently, chapter books we'd read together.

She can now read to me as well, which is beyond special. Reading together has always been part of our nighttime routine. When it was just the three of us, my husband and I would each read her one or two books a night.

Now that a baby is in the mix, she and I read together while my husband puts Penelope, my 1 year old, to bed.

In fact, one of the most weighted consequences we can scare Hailey with is the prospect of skipping our evening book. We could take away TV for a week and it would not have nearly the same reaction as one missed night of reading! I'd hate to miss it, too.

Not even a blackout can stop us!

While we still tuck in picture books at her level occasionally, we've had a passion project for about 6 months now. I am beyond thrilled to say she has been sharing in my love of Harry Potter! She was interested in the movies, and I insisted she could watch them only if we read the books together first.

We try to do one chapter a night, which doesn't always happen for numerous reasons – whether it be her falling asleep, not focusing, a really long chapter, etc.. so it takes a bit to get to the end of a book.

At the end of each, we then watch the movie together. At this point in time, we have recently started book 5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. While I think some things are a bit over her head, and I find my self having to remind her of facts chapters later, I love the experience it gives us. It is my most favorite series and discovering that magic through her eyes is unlike any other feeling.

I feel like reading together is such a major bonding for us. I know that there are many studies that show the longerm benefits of doing so, but on a smaller scale it just really brings us together. It is a time of day we both look forward to. Especially once a new baby was brought on it was harder to carve out time that was just me and her, but we have managed to make this count.

Without even going into a textbook lecture of all the psychological reasons why you should be doing this with your children, let's just shoot for the obvious:

Introducing a love of literature to your children early on will encourage them to continue the practice alone, helping them in learning to read and to develop the habit of reading for pleasure.

I also believe you are creating a wonderfully amazing imagination in a child. Hearing my child pretending to be a wizard, or princess or goblin based on a story book character is so magical. Above that, reading has allowed for a comfortable launchpad for necessary conversations about complicated topics, such as religion and 'growing up'.

Reading to the little ones is a bit more challenging, but I've learned you can't expect them to sit still and listen first and foremost. I feel like with my 1 year old, I'm teaching her what a book is, with the turning pages and treating them well.

Many times a day she brings me a book (or a GOOK as she says) and says “Please” (“Pweez”) wanting me to flip through it with her. As far as I'm concerned that's setting solid groundwork for our future story times, and that is good enough for now.

I look forward to the day when both my children can read to me, and we can continue this tradition for as long as they're willing.

It's never to late to start. Sit down with your kids and take a journey to a far away land. Open their minds to the endless possibilities that lay between the majestic pages of each tome. You won't regret it.

My Daily Daughter - A Yearly Photo Challenge

When my daughter started Kindergarten last year, I randomly decided to take a picture of her every morning on the way out the door. I didn't really have a plan for it in the beginning. I just thought it would be fun to catalog her daily looks.

By the time I'd gotten to about 60 days of photos I considered stopping but ended up keeping with it.

2015

I was so glad I did because at the end of the school year, I had one picture from every single day she had attended school. I put them into a pic montage video and edited in some music and it turned into a beautiful living yearbook. Watching all the pictures go by, I was able to see how much she'd grown. I was able to remember the days we had a hard time getting out the door and the days she was super excited to go. I was able to share it with my friends and family and to also show it to my Bugaboo herself. She loves watching it.

2015

I am doing it again this year, now that she is in first grade. I'm excited to put together the montage in a few months. I have been listening to the radio to try to come up with the perfect songs to accompany this year. Last year I put the photos to Roar by Katy Perry and Brave by Sara Bareilles. I like to to music that reminds my of Bugaboo. She is fierce, so Roar was perfect but she is also timid sometimes, so Brave was great too.

2016

If you want to start this photo tradition, here are some tips I can offer.

• Pick a spot in your house with good, year round lighting that has a permanent feature with which you can gauge your child's height. I use the hallway at our front door. Its very easy to see how much Bug has grown as she stands in front of it. 
• Take a couple quick photos every day. Sometimes its hard to get a smile and that's okay. The real mood makes it more fun. My kiddo likes to do funny poses sometimes and I love that. Other times I have to make a silly face just to get her to play along. Either way, it only takes a few extra seconds out of our morning to take a few quick pics.
• Once you decide on the pic you are keeping, put it in a folder either on your phone or computer with the date so you can easily pull them up in chronological order. 
• When the school year is over, you can put all your photos to music using any number of photo editing programs. Just find the one that is easiest for you to navigate. I used Windows Live Movie Maker and it was very user friendly.  

2016

I hope you will consider starting this fun tradition no matter what grade your child is in! And if you have any suggestions for recent music that you love, feel free to comment below. Thank you!

Living the life of TTC (Trying To Conceive)

There is a whole world out there, with its own language to decipher, composed of women trying to conceive, or TTC.

As you try to navigate it, all the acronyms being used can be so confusing! Some common terms seen on the TTC support scene are:

• AF- aunt flow,  
• BFN- big fat negative, 
• and MC- miscarriage. 

I am among these women who are TTC, and one of the ways I deal with it is connecting with others in a similar situation, seeing their stories as they choose to share, celebrating pregnancies (sometimes grudgingly), and crying over others.

This has been a hard journey, and I'm still on it. Maybe someday I can do a follow up post about morning sickness, and odd cravings.

I've always wanted to have kids, two of them. I grew up with a single mom taking care my  younger brother and me, and I envisioned the same life for me. That may seem sad, not having a partner to raise my children with. To me though, it was a sign of a strong woman to be the role of mother and father, and to be there for the ups and downs.

However, I have been with my honey for 11 years, married for almost 9, and now I couldn't imagine doing anything without him.

He has two boys, a 15 year old, and a 19 year old. I have seen the boys grow for over 10 years, and seen how my husband has raised them. Even when neither lived with us, he was 100% there for them. His love for them, and commitment to be present in their lives was one of the first things I loved about him.

My husband and I talked often about having kids, even when we were dating.  I decided one would be fine, as he has two kids already. He wanted none. I thought we would just date for a little while.

Then he proposed, so we talked kids again. Some day, he said.

A few years after being married, I had my first confirmed miscarriage, which prompted more conversations about the right time for us to try for a baby. We decided to wait a few more years before stopping birth control.

In preparation for wanting to get pregnant, I talked to my doctor. I mentioned to her that previous to my confirmed miscarriage, I believe I had another years before, in my early 20’s. Back then, I was going to a free clinic, and was just another girl. I was too scared and embarrassed to call them, until a few days later.

I was told it was too late to confirm a miscarriage, so they said it probably wasn't. No appointment was offered - this was all discussion over the phone. It's haunted me though, I remember so much pain, and lots of blood.

After explaining this to her, my doctor told me that if everything is not perfect, the pregnancy will not be viable, and that miscarriages are much more common than most people know.

To have a healthy pregnancy, my doctor suggested I lose 34 pounds, from 174 to 140. She gave me a list of foods to try to avoid and suggested a few days of exercise each week. This would help get my body in a healthy place, and possibly get rid of my mild sleep apnea, and fairly consistent migraines.

I was all about this idea. If this will give me a baby, let's do it.

I learned about Herbalife, drank two shakes a day, ate healthier, and started doing boot-camp like workouts 3 days a week. The weight melted off! I started to look and feel so much better, I was sleeping through the night, and noticed a huge decreases in migraines too!

Then it happened. I got pregnant!

I took the test when my period was late, and it told me what I have waited and waited to see: big, bold PREGNANT.

This was two years ago.

I knew I was pregnant for about a week before I started spotting, and cramping. I miscarried. This is now two, maybe 3 lost babies.

I worked so hard, lost weight, got healthy, and cried. And cried.

A few months later we started trying again.

I get an ovulation tracking app Glow, log way too much info daily, lay still for at least 15 minutes after having sex, even grab some ovulation tests to pee on daily.

Month after month is a disappointment.  I start questioning everything.

I wonder if Herbalife had a negative effect? So I see a nutritionist, bring all my products and go over them one by one. She scours the labels, talks to me about how many shakes I drink, and my other eating habits. She declared Herbalife shakes safe for pregnancy, and nursing later.

Phew, I love my shakes!

Then I started looking into some infertility sites, starting with Kaiser, and clicking each link Google gave me.

Until I went through this, I always thought infertility was the inability to get pregnant. For me, it takes forever, like, a year,  to get pregnant,  but I do get pregnant. Infertility is also the inability to remain pregnant.  Ok. That's me.

There are tons of sites one can go to for information, but almost more helpful are the sites to go to for support. I mentioned before reading others' stories. They can be so heart-wrenching. For some, after multiple miscarriages these women report they are finally pregnant. I can do that, right?

9 months ago, my period was late again, and my breasts were really sore. For a month, sore.  I took a test and there it is, digital read out says PREGNANT.

I wait a few days and tell my mom on her birthday, July 21st.

I know how things may turn out, but I felt different this time. My breasts never hurt for so long, nor had I been so exhausted. These are great signs! I don't tell people, just my husband, mom, and a cousin who was a few months pregnant with her second child.

My cousin tells me that her sister is pregnant, too. My other cousin told her mom on her birthday, July 18th, like I did. We each conceived within a week of each other. I thought to myself that God, if there is one, wouldn't make me lose my baby and watch my cousin be pregnant, and have a happy, healthy baby.

It's not about being competitive, which I know I can be. It’s about knowing trimester by trimester where I would have been, and watching this new person grow, knowing I would have a child the same age.

Horrible, negative thoughts, I know.

I got an ultrasound, all looked fine, I saw my little cheerio, and of course blood tests were done, too.

I got a call a few days later from a nurse, letting me know my thyroid levels were within the normal range, but higher than they wanted. I was advised to get a prescription to moderate my hypothyroidism. I even talked to a specialist who explained that the thyroid is like a thermostat for the body, and having the wrong levels could affect pregnancy in a big way.  Good thing I got my prescription.

Another blood test showed that my hCG levels were not rising as much as they should. I look online and to see what this meant.

So many stories, those who had slow rising levels and still had a healthy baby, some that miscarried shortly after, and horrifically, some that miscarried in their 2nd and 3rd trimesters. I just couldn't imagine that.

I had hope though, even though the doctors were letting me know I had a good chance of miscarrying again. No, that can't happen, I think.

Then I start spotting. Then light cramping. Then more.

I couldn't believe this was happening again. How? Why?

A few days later I pass what was my baby. I froze. What was I supposed to do, flush? I couldn't.

My husband comes back to the bathroom when I don't come to the living room after a long time. I broke down. I couldn't go back in the restroom. He flushed. It was the size of my thumb.

I couldn't handle the loss.

I cried, but wouldn't allow myself to really cry. We had both boys home, but we didn't tell them. I hid how I felt. My mom, who lives in Oklahoma came to California to give me hugs and support.

I don't think I've really let myself go, and really, really cry, even still. I watch TV,  look at Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest. I listened to audiobook after audiobook so I wouldn't, and don't have to think.

My husband and I have since gone to see an infertility specialist. I have lost vial after vial of blood to numerous tests. All is normal, including a genetics test. I am genetically normal, I never thought I would be happy to hear I was normal. I had a very thorough ultrasound to determine if I had any abnormalities, nope, again, normal. My husband, having two children is also good to go.

Diagnosis: bad luck. Really? Four miscarriages, and I'm unlucky.

When I do become pregnant again, I will need to take progesterone for 12 weeks, and I have continued to take my thyroid medicine. I will be considered a high risk pregnancy.

I was not able to go to my cousin's birthday party where she told the family she and her husband were expecting, to her gender reveal party, or her baby shower. Two were because I was not ready to be around her, one because of work. I haven't yet told her I was due the same time as her, but lost my baby. I didn’t want to take away from her joy of pregnancy, it didn't seem right.

My cousin had her daughter a few weeks ago. She is precious. I have seen pictures. I know when I see them in person, I will cry, and tell her. Again, I don't want to take away from her joy of motherhood.

Every month I still hold my breath that my period won't come. I take my prenatal, and I log everything on my Glow app. I was inconsistent with logging and taking my prenatal, but I am getting back on track.

I was inconsistent because I was mad.

I have read that green veggies should be eaten in abundance to increase fertility, cool, I like green things.

I heard that consuming Royal Jelly, the uber distasteful honey/wax that is fed to Queen bees would help with fertility. You only take a tiny bit at a time.  I am already through the jar.

I read witches would braid their hair, wear shoes with laces, and clothing with ties, and as tying each item think thoughts of holding in a baby would help negate miscarriage. I braid all the time.

All the time.

I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs. I've lost weight, gained some back due to emotional eating, and am losing it again.

I know when I'm ovulating, even without the tracking.

Someday, someday when the time is right, I will have my child.

In the meantime, I braid, draw, and try not to be stressed out, or think about not being pregnant.

I drew my mom a tattoo idea years ago, two teddy bears leaning against each other, one with my piercings, one with my brothers. I've redrawn this with bubbles, symbolizing the babies lost.

Someday I can draw a tiny teddy bear, without a bubble. Someday.

I am hoping that in sharing my story, I will help others, if anything to show they are not alone. If you would like to share your story, please do. I know reading all the stories I did helped me cope. Some of the support sites I read from were the Glow app forums, babyandbump.momtastic.com, and thebump.com.

Thank you for reading, and letting me get this all out.